Stewart Lee, satirist and stand-up, talks to Sean O'Hagan about persecution, Richard 'The Hamster' Hammond and the trouble with happiness...

A prolonged nervous hush has settled on the audience at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre in Guildford. It is broken only by scattered yelps of anxious laughter and the sound of Stewart Lee quietly, inexorably pushing the boundaries of what is comedically acceptable.

He is halfway though a typically discursive and increasingly extreme routine about the Top Gear presenter, Richard “The Hamster” Hammond, who, as it happens, went to the same school as him [Solihull School]. Lee, as the Daily Mail has already noted, “has made no secret of his dislike for Top Gear”. On tonight’s evidence, that is understating the case. Interestingly, it is Hammond in all his cuddly collusiveness, rather than the more obvious Clarkson, that has provoked the comedian’s ire.

“I wish he had been decapitated and that his head had rolled off in front of his wife,” Lee deadpans, referring to that now famous car crash of a few years ago. “And that a jagged piece of metal debris from the car had stuck in his eye and blinded him and then his head had rolled a few more yards into a pool of boiling oil and that it had just retained enough neural capacity for him to be able to think ‘Ooh, this is hot!’ before the whole thing exploded into tiny pieces.”

At the Yvonne Arnaud, most of the audience laugh at this point, the extremeness of Lee’s vision having pushed it into the realm of what might be called the satirically absurd. Others just shake their heads in mystified silence. No one walks out, though, even when Lee turns his comic ire on Guildford, which he suspects is more a Top Gear kind of town than a Stewart Lee kind of town. This, you sense, is just how Stewart Lee likes it. He operates out in that dangerous hinterland between moral provocation and outright offence, often adopting, as in this instance, the tactics of those he targets in order to highlight their hypocrisy.

Lee is essentially a satirist who redefines the term barbed wit; more traditional in his approach than say, Chris Morris, but no less appalled and disgusted at what has become of us.

“The idea of what’s acceptable and what’s shocking, that’s where I investigate,” he says, when I meet him the following week in Soho, London. “I mean, you can’t be on Top Gear, where your only argument is that it’s all just a joke and anyone who takes offence is an example of political correctness gone mad, and then not accept the counterbalance to that. Put simply, if Clarkson can say the prime minister is a one-eyed Scottish idiot,” adds Lee giggling, “then I can say that I hope his children go blind.”

The short bout of Daily Mail-orchestrated outrage that attended Lee’s Top Gear routine is small potatoes compared to the storm of controversy that enveloped him when Jerry Springer: the Opera, the comic musical he co-wrote with Richard Thomas, was broadcast on BBC2 in January 2005. The show had already run for a few years in the West End to great reviews but the screening brought a record 65,000 complaints. The protests were orchestrated by a fundamentalist group called Christian Voice, who were so angered by the portrayal of Jesus that they also brought a private case for blasphemy – later thrown out of court. The same group organised pickets of venues across Britain that showed the musical. “Controversy,” says Lee, sighing, “seems to be a by-product of what I do rather like offence is the by-product of a dog urinating on the pavement. It just happens.”

In this instance, though, it seems to have left its mark. More than once Lee returns to the subject. “If you have been on the verge of becoming a millionaire and that has not happened because of far-right pressure groups,” he says at one point, sounding just like he does when he is getting into his stride on stage, “and your work has been banned and taken apart, and you’ve been threatened with prosecution, and the police have advised people involved with your production to go into hiding, and bed and breakfasts won’t have the cast to stay because they’re blasphemers, and you have to cross a BNP picket line to go to work in Plymouth, you do start to think, well, what can be worse that that?”

I ask him if the experience has impacted on his stand-up act in any way. “It did make me feel there was not much point ever trying to reach a mass audience with anything interesting and provocative. You just run the risk of being misunderstood on a large scale.”

In the flesh, Lee looks exactly like he does on stage, the unruly quiff and downbeat demeanour suggesting an ageing indie-rock star. One of the many inspired moments in his show includes a riff about constantly being mistaken for various embarrassing 80s celebrities – “Oh, look, that Terry Christian hasn’t aged well.” He also compares himself to “a crumpled Morrissey” and, when I broach the similarity today, says: “It’s very odd that we seem to be decaying at exactly the same rate.”

When I offer to buy Lee a drink, he opts for a pot of English breakfast tea. He seems affable enough if a little worn out, which is hardly surprising. In August, he launched his new show, If You Prefer a Milder Comedian, Please Ask for One, with a 30-date Edinburgh residency, and then went straight into a 75-date national tour. He is now preparing for a six-week run at the Leicester Square theatre in London. “I’ve worked out that my audience has doubled since the TV show [his quirkily brilliant series, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, which had a six-week run on BBC2 last spring]. I can do these bigger small venues but the nuances and gestures will all be lost if I go much bigger. It’s a dilemma.”

What would he do, I ask, if Richard Hammond turned up on the first night in London and sat in the front row with Clarkson and James May? “Oh, I’d just do it,” he says, sounding excited at the prospect. “Clarkson is a rightwing libertarian so he’d probably be all right with it. I’d happily debate the routine with Hammond and I think he’d get what it’s about, that he’s being used as a symbol of the sort of debased crassness that passes for controversial humour these days.”

Lee, for the first but not the last time today, dissolves into a slightly maniacal cackle, the sound of someone who is, like many stand-up comedians, slightly unhinged. He is anything but. The Top Gear section of his three-act show is an intricate and carefully choreographed argument against the current drift of popular culture towards boorishness and casual cruelty disguised as irony.

“It’s interesting to me that apparently distasteful comments from the right against weak targets tend to draw a lot less media fire than apparently distasteful comments from the left against hard targets. That’s one of the threads that runs through the show and that people hopefully pick up on.”

At 41, Lee is now a veteran of the stand-up circuit, and, after 20 years, a master of his craft. His style is relaxed, his delivery slow and sure-footed, and his routines meticulously plotted. The shocks when they come are like powerful punctuation marks in an extended essay. Sometimes, too, he moves beyond the comic into something altogether more dark and dangerous. On YouTube, you can witness Lee’s long and inspired tightrope walk of a routine which targets the Mail’s reigning loudmouth, Richard Littlejohn, and in particular, his dismissiveness of the prostitutes who were murdered by a serial killer in Ipswich in 2006. It is the single most powerful piece of politically motivated satire I have seen since the great Bill Hicks ruled supreme, and inches inexorably towards a pay-off that, when it comes, is both inspired and devastating. It should be studied at length by comedians who think that staged outrageousness as an end in itself is enough.

“I’m now in the position of having to justify myself against the fearless young men of comedy”, says Lee, referring to fellow comedian Frankie Boyle’s recent assertion that fortysomething comedians are too old to be edgy. “The thing about most of those professionally offensive comedians, though, is that no one is ever actually offended. Everyone understands the parameters and operates within them, the audience and the performer. Whereas, with someone like Jerry Sadowitz, there’s a part in every show of his where a little piece of me dies and I think, I wish I’d never heard that. Now, that’s the most truly offensive comedian you’ll ever see.”

It often seems, when talking to Stewart Lee, that he views the whole world through the prism of stand-up comedy, constantly referencing his heroes, which range from the familiar (Dave Allen) through the doggedly alternative (Sadowitz, Daniel Kitson) to the downright obscure (Ted Chippington). It was the latter’s appearance as support act for his favourite group, the Fall, in the early 80s that made the 16-year-old Lee consider comedy as a serious career. “I was the only person laughing in the room but I honestly thought it was the best thing I had seen in my life up to that point.”

Lee was the first of his family to go to university, studying English at Oxford. He wrote and directed, but did not appear in, the Oxford Revue in 1989. “I wasn’t th e classic comedy type, I wasn’t bullied or extrovert. I was more the ambitious literary one who wanted to write clever little plays.”

His parents, he says, were initially “baffled and disappointed” by his career choice. To this day, they ask him when he is going to get a proper job. “My mum’s main reference point is Tom O’Connor. She came to see me in Worcester and it was kind of sad, really. I could tell that she thought most people were laughing out of pity. She thinks I should be doing cruises by now like Tom – ‘That’s where the money is, Stew.'”

In 1990, Lee won the New Act of the Year award at Hackney Empire and the following year, having teamed up with Richard Herring, began writing for Radio 4’s groundbreaking On the Hour. Throughout the 90s, Lee and Herring wrote and performed together. “We met when we were 19 and the core of the act was two teenagers bickering. It was starting to wear out when we were 30.” Their successful radio show, Fist of Fun, transferred to BBC2 for two series, before the duo parted company in 1998.

“We compromised the show’s integrity for the second series,” says Lee. “We were pressurised to change the set and the titles and the whole atmosphere changed. I didn’t want to do it, but I did, and it set me back years. When I see clips of it on YouTube, I look like a truculent, miserable, lazy man.”

In 2001, Lee published a critically well received novel, The Perfect Fool, and created a surreal show, Pea Green Boat, based on Edward Lear’s poem “The Owl and the Pussycat” which showcased Lee’s verbal ingenuity and gift for pastiche. He is writing another book which will comprise the texts of three stand-up routines complete with notes and sources in the manner, he quips, of “Pound’s annotated version of The Waste Land”.

Lee is married to the comedian and writer Bridget Christie and they have a young son. “It’s much harder to fabricate an across-the-board cynicism about everything for commercial ends when you’re largely happy on a day-to-day basis,” he says, quite seriously. “Having a child and imagining you might have a future means that your cynicism becomes a kind of defeated romanticism. You suddenly find yourself hoping for the best. Plus, you can’t be too cavalier about your disregard for commercial success when the comfort of another person’s life is dependent on it.”

Where, then, will he go after the current show completes its long run? He has one vague, but slowly growing, plan to go right out on a limb by touring his version of Michael McIntyre’s current stand-up show in its entirety. “It would be verbatim, word-for-word, gag by gag like some weird recreation,” he says, cracking up at the very thought. Why on earth would he want to do that? “Oh, just to see if I could inject any paranoia and menace or even personality into it, if I could turn the blandness of it into the thoughts of someone on the very edge of madness.”

Then, as is his wont, he suddenly turns serious and thoughtful again. “It would be nice for the TV show to be recommissioned so I could have a year off the road. Then again, I’ve worked out that the economics of a being an obscure cult figure might just work out better in the long run than the economics of being a discarded television performer. As the comedian John Hegley says, if 5,000 people give you a tenner a year, it’s a living.”

If You Prefer a Milder Comedian, Please Ask for One is at the Leicester Square theatre, London WC1, 7 Dec to 17 Jan

"Lee seems to think he's more clever than he really is. His material is delivered in a "If you don't find this funny, you can't be very intelligent" manner, which is an attitude perpetuated by the pseudo-intellectual Guardian reading arsebiscuits who like him."

Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:36:45+00:00

Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com

"Lee seems to think he's more clever than he really is. His material is delivered in a "If you don't find this funny, you can't be very intelligent" manner, which is an attitude perpetuated by the pseudo-intellectual Guardian reading arsebiscuits who like him."

"After careful deliberation, I can now say I have finally gone off Stewart Lee. Give it two years and so will you."

Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:06:21+00:00

Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter

"After careful deliberation, I can now say I have finally gone off Stewart Lee. Give it two years and so will you."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/tweeterkiryakou-twitter/

"I'd never punch Stewart Lee in the face. His smugness would wrap itself round my fist and slowly consume it, infecting me in the process. Stewart Lee once told a joke that I found desperately unfunny. Then he done a poo on stage. Stewart Lee once used my cheesegrater to remove smegma from his Willy. Then he made me cheese-on-toast without cleaning it."

Pudabaya, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:26:11+00:00

Pudabaya, Twitter

"I'd never punch Stewart Lee in the face. His smugness would wrap itself round my fist and slowly consume it, infecting me in the process. Stewart Lee once told a joke that I found desperately unfunny. Then he done a poo on stage. Stewart Lee once used my cheesegrater to remove smegma from his Willy. Then he made me cheese-on-toast without cleaning it."

"Without warning I was drawn from watching the ?excelllent Jeremy Paxman to a loathsome comedian gratuitously using the "c" word. I found this extremely unacceptable, as did my recently widowed mother."

Anon, BBC Complaints Log

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:35:16+00:00

Anon, BBC Complaints Log

"Without warning I was drawn from watching the ?excelllent Jeremy Paxman to a loathsome comedian gratuitously using the "c" word. I found this extremely unacceptable, as did my recently widowed mother."

"No part of this routine was funny enough to even bother delivering it. I'm not offended, more bemused by his total lack of talent and why the audience are laughing at his dull and obvious "jokes"."

Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:40:56+00:00

Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube

"No part of this routine was funny enough to even bother delivering it. I'm not offended, more bemused by his total lack of talent and why the audience are laughing at his dull and obvious "jokes"."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/whoiscuriousgeorge-youtube/

"Why does anyone sully the name of comedians by so very incorrectly applying the term to Stewart Lee."

Microcuts 22, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:25:19+00:00

Microcuts 22, Twitter

"Why does anyone sully the name of comedians by so very incorrectly applying the term to Stewart Lee."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/microcuts-22-twitter/

"Stewart Lee's just as smug as Clarkson and co in my opinion. Has a very punchable tone of voice."

Aiden Hearn, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-04-24T17:38:02+01:00

Aiden Hearn, Twitter

"Stewart Lee's just as smug as Clarkson and co in my opinion. Has a very punchable tone of voice."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/aiden-hearn-twitter/

"Stewart Lee is not funny. He comes from the smug - if you don't laugh at my material then you aren't smart enough - school of comedy. No Stewart, if we don't laugh at your material then it's just not good enough."

Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-04-24T17:42:09+01:00

Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk

"Stewart Lee is not funny. He comes from the smug - if you don't laugh at my material then you aren't smart enough - school of comedy. No Stewart, if we don't laugh at your material then it's just not good enough."

"I really cannot *bear* the bumptious prick that is Stewart Lee. And anyone who sees Stewart Lee for the pompous self important tit that he is, is a friend of mine. The greatest trick Stewart Lee ever pulled was convincing the world he's funny and not just a ridiculously supercilious prat who just repeats himself. Stewart Lee you are a prize cock. At least get your facts straight before you launch into your pious Guardian wank fodder."

Lucinda Locketts, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:33:32+00:00

Lucinda Locketts, Twitter

"I really cannot *bear* the bumptious prick that is Stewart Lee. And anyone who sees Stewart Lee for the pompous self important tit that he is, is a friend of mine. The greatest trick Stewart Lee ever pulled was convincing the world he's funny and not just a ridiculously supercilious prat who just repeats himself. Stewart Lee you are a prize cock. At least get your facts straight before you launch into your pious Guardian wank fodder."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/lucinda-locketts-twitter/

"Lee is not just unfunny but tiresome, his non-joke act isn't even original! He just rips off Ted Chippington. Ooooh look at me! I'm Stewart Lee! I'm deconstructing the form!! Come back Richard Herring!! Please!"

General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:27:24+00:00

General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk

"Lee is not just unfunny but tiresome, his non-joke act isn't even original! He just rips off Ted Chippington. Ooooh look at me! I'm Stewart Lee! I'm deconstructing the form!! Come back Richard Herring!! Please!"

"I continue to watch out of amazement at how unfunny this man is... he has made me snigger but once when talking about getting your willy stuck in a zipper. Anyone could get a laugh with that! It amazes me how he likes to repeat the same thing several times, likes to repeat things several times, repeat things several times, several times, times."

Stuart, Chortle

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:28:14+00:00

Stuart, Chortle

"I continue to watch out of amazement at how unfunny this man is... he has made me snigger but once when talking about getting your willy stuck in a zipper. Anyone could get a laugh with that! It amazes me how he likes to repeat the same thing several times, likes to repeat things several times, repeat things several times, several times, times."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/stuart-chortle/

"I hate that Stewart Lee fella, totally unfunny and as much charisma as Pol Pot!!"

Fowkes81, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:24:45+00:00

Fowkes81, Twitter

"I hate that Stewart Lee fella, totally unfunny and as much charisma as Pol Pot!!"

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/fowkes81-twitter/

"Alleged comedian Stewart Lee is cheap and mean spirited."

Iain, eatenbymissionaries

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:24:03+00:00

Iain, eatenbymissionaries

"Alleged comedian Stewart Lee is cheap and mean spirited."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/iain-eatenbymissionaries/

"Smug elitist liberalism. Who is this cunt?"

Tokyofist, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:06:12+00:00

Tokyofist, Youtube

"Smug elitist liberalism. Who is this cunt?"

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/tokyofist-youtube/

"I think describing himself as a comedian is the only funny thing the man has ever said. Don't bother telling me that I don't get it; I don't want it. It's only possible to like right-on, lefty comedians like Stuart Lee if you're a right-on lefty yourself. Like all right-on lefties he feigns contempt of intolerance and ridicules people for the predictably, allegedly right wing intolerances ascribed to stereotypically right wing people. To me, morally or comedically this is no better than Bernard Manning or Jim Davidson both of whom were genuinely funny even if you now think their jokes were racist but neither of them were genuinely bigoted, IMHO of course, like Stewart Lee and his fans. In attempting to send up intolerance by being blatantly intolerant and bigoted, Lee falls flat on his face making any genuinely tolerant, left-of-centre, liberals so horrified that they simply could not laugh. In short, if you're a bigoted, socialist worker, civil servant, teacher, social worker or NHS employee then Stuart Lee is the comedian for you. If you actually care about tolerance for all, even those who have different political opinons from you, he's about as funny as the credit crunch."

Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:39:30+00:00

Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk

"I think describing himself as a comedian is the only funny thing the man has ever said. Don't bother telling me that I don't get it; I don't want it. It's only possible to like right-on, lefty comedians like Stuart Lee if you're a right-on lefty yourself. Like all right-on lefties he feigns contempt of intolerance and ridicules people for the predictably, allegedly right wing intolerances ascribed to stereotypically right wing people. To me, morally or comedically this is no better than Bernard Manning or Jim Davidson both of whom were genuinely funny even if you now think their jokes were racist but neither of them were genuinely bigoted, IMHO of course, like Stewart Lee and his fans. In attempting to send up intolerance by being blatantly intolerant and bigoted, Lee falls flat on his face making any genuinely tolerant, left-of-centre, liberals so horrified that they simply could not laugh. In short, if you're a bigoted, socialist worker, civil servant, teacher, social worker or NHS employee then Stuart Lee is the comedian for you. If you actually care about tolerance for all, even those who have different political opinons from you, he's about as funny as the credit crunch."

"Watching Stewart Lee in action these days is like standing on the edge of a frozen lake and seeing a man half-submerged in the perishing ice. You throw him a rope - but he hurls it back. You didn't throw it correctly, he advises. And anyway, he was fine as he was, until you ruined it all. Didn't you know that sub-zero was his natural habitat?"

Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:40:41+00:00

Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph

"Watching Stewart Lee in action these days is like standing on the edge of a frozen lake and seeing a man half-submerged in the perishing ice. You throw him a rope - but he hurls it back. You didn't throw it correctly, he advises. And anyway, he was fine as he was, until you ruined it all. Didn't you know that sub-zero was his natural habitat?"

"The dullness of his jokes is only matched by his bitterness towards other comedians and half the world around him. He seems to spend hours on stage pretending that he 'gets something' nobody else has. I just wish he'd get a sense of humour. Tripe."

Gabrielle, Chortle.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:36:30+00:00

Gabrielle, Chortle.com

"The dullness of his jokes is only matched by his bitterness towards other comedians and half the world around him. He seems to spend hours on stage pretending that he 'gets something' nobody else has. I just wish he'd get a sense of humour. Tripe."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/gabrielle-chortle-com/

"Amongst the least talented comedians ever invented."

Pirate Crocodile, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:34:37+00:00

Pirate Crocodile, Twitter

"Amongst the least talented comedians ever invented."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/pirate-crocodile-twitter/

"Stewart Lee is boring."

Tin Frog, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:06:06+00:00

Tin Frog, Twitter

"Stewart Lee is boring."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/tin-frog-twitter/

"This guy is a douche bag who probably drank to much before going on stage to prove what a complete and utter asshole he is."

GRTak, finalgear.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:52:17+00:00

GRTak, finalgear.com

"This guy is a douche bag who probably drank to much before going on stage to prove what a complete and utter asshole he is."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/grtak-finalgear-com/

"Not one joke delivered. Absolutely the worst comedian I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. Don't waste your money or time. Only comedian that I have ever thought of walking out on."

Dave Wilson, Chortle.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:26:39+00:00

Dave Wilson, Chortle.com

"Not one joke delivered. Absolutely the worst comedian I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. Don't waste your money or time. Only comedian that I have ever thought of walking out on."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/dave-wilson-chortle-com/

"WHAT THE HELL! If i ever find you, lee, i promise i will, I WILL, kick the crap out of you."

Carcrazychica, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:23:01+00:00

Carcrazychica, Youtube

"WHAT THE HELL! If i ever find you, lee, i promise i will, I WILL, kick the crap out of you."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/carcrazychica-youtube/

"A small, sad man."

FBC, finalgear.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:10:31+00:00

FBC, finalgear.com

"A small, sad man."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/fbc-finalgear-com/

"Big surprise, guardianistas love comic who went to a posh school and oxbridge. Dave Chappelle's could show him how it's done."

Neolab, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-04-24T17:41:07+01:00

Neolab, Guardian.co.uk

"Big surprise, guardianistas love comic who went to a posh school and oxbridge. Dave Chappelle's could show him how it's done."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/neolab-guardian-co-uk/

"Stewart Lee is a pedantic, overrated, mundane little shit of a comedian. And yes, I do 'get' him, it's just ... wank."

Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:05:13+00:00

Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork

"Stewart Lee is a pedantic, overrated, mundane little shit of a comedian. And yes, I do 'get' him, it's just ... wank."

"Stewart Lee has created his own very profitable narrative that Stewart Lee = cool and Anything Else = shit."

John Robins, Comedian

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:07:43+00:00

John Robins, Comedian

"Stewart Lee has created his own very profitable narrative that Stewart Lee = cool and Anything Else = shit."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/john-robins-comedian/

"The most overrated smug twat ever."

Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:40:14+00:00

Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk

"The most overrated smug twat ever."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/syhr-breakbeat-co-uk/

"It is a bit like listening to a sixth form NUS president who was brought up an only child by his sycophantic grandparents."

Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:33:13+00:00

Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk

"It is a bit like listening to a sixth form NUS president who was brought up an only child by his sycophantic grandparents."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/deepbass-guardian-co-uk/

"Russell Brand plays stadiums, Stewart Lee has a tin pot show on BBC that no-one watches."

Borathigh5, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:33:53+00:00

Borathigh5, Youtube

"Russell Brand plays stadiums, Stewart Lee has a tin pot show on BBC that no-one watches."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/borathigh5-youtube/

"Genuinely can't stand him, he comes across as the sort that thinks that live comedy should just be kept to smoky art student union clubs and that any comedian that plays in arenas is destroying the so called "artistic integrity" of stand up when we all know stand-up comedy is not an art form it's a form of live entertainment. P.S. Just because your TV show is terrible doesn't mean you have to rip into Russell Howard and 'that Roadshow''."

Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:37:08+00:00

Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com

"Genuinely can't stand him, he comes across as the sort that thinks that live comedy should just be kept to smoky art student union clubs and that any comedian that plays in arenas is destroying the so called "artistic integrity" of stand up when we all know stand-up comedy is not an art form it's a form of live entertainment. P.S. Just because your TV show is terrible doesn't mean you have to rip into Russell Howard and 'that Roadshow''."

"I spent the entire time thinking of how much I want to punch Stewart Lee in the face instead of laughing. He does have an incredibly punchable face, doesn't he? (I could just close my eyes, but fantasizing about punching Stewart Lee is still more fun than sitting in complete, stony silence.) Fucking smug-faced cunt."

Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:25:51+00:00

Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com

"I spent the entire time thinking of how much I want to punch Stewart Lee in the face instead of laughing. He does have an incredibly punchable face, doesn't he? (I could just close my eyes, but fantasizing about punching Stewart Lee is still more fun than sitting in complete, stony silence.) Fucking smug-faced cunt."

"I hate comedy that presumes to 'defend' minorities like me. Sod off, you don't know what offends me, so you can't protect me from it. But most of the things you think offend me don't."

Sweeping Curves, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T18:48:26+00:00

Sweeping Curves, Twitter

"I hate comedy that presumes to 'defend' minorities like me. Sod off, you don't know what offends me, so you can't protect me from it. But most of the things you think offend me don't."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/sweeping-curves-twitter/

"Lee spastic cunt."

Anon, dontstartmeoff.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:23:48+00:00

Anon, dontstartmeoff.com

"Lee spastic cunt."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/anon-dontstartmeoff-com/

"Great, the next big thing has materialised. Surprisingly for the Guardian, they are recommending a man who hates the Top Gear presenters and co wrote a hit show that offended Christians. This is like being 15 and reading the NME."

Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:25:33+00:00

Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk

"Great, the next big thing has materialised. Surprisingly for the Guardian, they are recommending a man who hates the Top Gear presenters and co wrote a hit show that offended Christians. This is like being 15 and reading the NME."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/nicetime-guardian-co-uk/

"Self consciousness in comedy doesn't make it better, or more intelligent. It makes it much worse. Give me Michael McIntyre any day."

Shit Crit, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T18:50:03+00:00

Shit Crit, Twitter

"Self consciousness in comedy doesn't make it better, or more intelligent. It makes it much worse. Give me Michael McIntyre any day."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/shit-crit-twitter/

"Lee was a good comic. Unfortunately now he comes across as a chaotic drunk."

Foxfoxton, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:17:01+00:00

Foxfoxton, Youtube

"Lee was a good comic. Unfortunately now he comes across as a chaotic drunk."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/foxfoxton-youtube/

"All this man seems to be able to do is dance about going "ah ha ha ha ha ha!' So incredibly unfunny."

Emilyistrendy, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:35:14+00:00

Emilyistrendy, Youtube

"All this man seems to be able to do is dance about going "ah ha ha ha ha ha!' So incredibly unfunny."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/emilyistrendy-youtube/

"If I could bring one extinct thing back to life it would be Stewart Lee’s sense of humour."

Frankie Boyle, Comedian

Stewart Lee

2019-04-08T20:39:03+01:00

Frankie Boyle, Comedian

"If I could bring one extinct thing back to life it would be Stewart Lee’s sense of humour."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/frankie-boyle/

"Stewart Lee should jump in his 'comedy vehicle' and drive it off a very high cliff. Whoever this youth is, he sounds about as funny as three weeks of really bad weather!"

Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:19:31+00:00

Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk

"Stewart Lee should jump in his 'comedy vehicle' and drive it off a very high cliff. Whoever this youth is, he sounds about as funny as three weeks of really bad weather!"

"An abysmal 'comedian'. He's unable to pick up Brownie points for being funny and so instead flaunts his politically correct views to try to get audiences' and critics' sympathy. While this works to keep him a cult following of der brains who enjoy playing the game of 'I'm holier than thou', it's the reason while he'll never be mainstream (you have to be funny to do that) and why critics who like him always have to apologise for his contributions to high profile charity gigs in venues when the punters don't laugh. Garbage."

Chez, Chortle.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:35:41+00:00

Chez, Chortle.com

"An abysmal 'comedian'. He's unable to pick up Brownie points for being funny and so instead flaunts his politically correct views to try to get audiences' and critics' sympathy. While this works to keep him a cult following of der brains who enjoy playing the game of 'I'm holier than thou', it's the reason while he'll never be mainstream (you have to be funny to do that) and why critics who like him always have to apologise for his contributions to high profile charity gigs in venues when the punters don't laugh. Garbage."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/chez-chortle-com/

"Stewart Lee. Boring as hell and unfunny."

Peter Ould, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:20:25+00:00

Peter Ould, Twitter

"Stewart Lee. Boring as hell and unfunny."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/peter-ould-twitter/

"I fell asleep during Stewart Lee. I don't get him really."

Tres Ryan, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:34:19+00:00

Tres Ryan, Twitter

"I fell asleep during Stewart Lee. I don't get him really."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/tres-ryan-twitter/

"Liberals like this guy would just love to live in totalitarian state where only their views could be expressed and opposition views crushed. They are childish hypocrites. They should stop reading the guardian and get in the real world."

12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:22:20+00:00

12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube

"Liberals like this guy would just love to live in totalitarian state where only their views could be expressed and opposition views crushed. They are childish hypocrites. They should stop reading the guardian and get in the real world."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/12dgdgdgdgdgdg-youtube/

"Sorry, Something has gone wrong (Error 500). Unfortunately this part of iPlayer has temporarily stopped working. This will be because there has been an unforeseen technical error."

BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T18:49:25+00:00

BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read

"Sorry, Something has gone wrong (Error 500). Unfortunately this part of iPlayer has temporarily stopped working. This will be because there has been an unforeseen technical error."

"Stewart Lee has lost his glasses somewhere in stoke newington. Have you seen them? Please ReTweet."

Stokeylitfest, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:37:40+00:00

Stokeylitfest, Twitter

"Stewart Lee has lost his glasses somewhere in stoke newington. Have you seen them? Please ReTweet."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/stokeylitfest-twitter/

"Stewart Lee : 20 years of 'sneer = career'."

Clampdown59, Twitter.

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:39:53+00:00

Clampdown59, Twitter.

"Stewart Lee : 20 years of 'sneer = career'."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/clampdown59-twitter/

"If this is supposed to be a "Comedy Vehicle," maybe someone should call the RAC to get it started."

Gwaites, Digitalspy

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:18:43+00:00

Gwaites, Digitalspy

"If this is supposed to be a "Comedy Vehicle," maybe someone should call the RAC to get it started."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/gwaites-digitalspy/

"Intellectual pretensions aside for a moment Stewart Lee is a bit of a knob sometimes., isn't he?"

Contrapuntal, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:52:03+00:00

Contrapuntal, Twitter

"Intellectual pretensions aside for a moment Stewart Lee is a bit of a knob sometimes., isn't he?"

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/contrapuntal-twitter/

"Only a Sun reader could mistake this dross for intelligent comedy. Probably laughs at farting noises too. Here's to hoping this particular vehicle runs off the road. Under a train."

NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:32:03+00:00

NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk

"Only a Sun reader could mistake this dross for intelligent comedy. Probably laughs at farting noises too. Here's to hoping this particular vehicle runs off the road. Under a train."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/nevw47479-uktv-co-uk/

"Christ what a monotoned smug nobhead, don't you people get tired of his student aimed so called humour, god he's crap."

Anamatronix, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:27:39+00:00

Anamatronix, Youtube

"Christ what a monotoned smug nobhead, don't you people get tired of his student aimed so called humour, god he's crap."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/anamatronix-youtube/

"Stewart Lee is a pompous, condescending bore, and he isn't remotely funny. He claims to have read the entire works of William Blake - he obviously completely missed one of the great themes of Blake: a love and respect for all humanity. If smugness could be harnessed as a form of energy this man could help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels."

Danazawa, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:22:43+00:00

Danazawa, Youtube

"Stewart Lee is a pompous, condescending bore, and he isn't remotely funny. He claims to have read the entire works of William Blake - he obviously completely missed one of the great themes of Blake: a love and respect for all humanity. If smugness could be harnessed as a form of energy this man could help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/danazawa-youtube/

"A sneering tosser."

Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:02:14+00:00

Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk

"A sneering tosser."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/rowing-rob-guardian-co-uk/

"Stewart Lee's comedy is designed to be 'appreciated' but not actually 'laughed' at or 'enjoyed'. Here's a fun game you can play while watching Stewart Lee: With a pen and paper, jot down how often you actually laugh. You may be surpsied!"

Dick Socrates, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:26:54+00:00

Dick Socrates, Twitter

"Stewart Lee's comedy is designed to be 'appreciated' but not actually 'laughed' at or 'enjoyed'. Here's a fun game you can play while watching Stewart Lee: With a pen and paper, jot down how often you actually laugh. You may be surpsied!"

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/dick-socrates-twitter/

"Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle seems to be driving itself up his backside."

Jamespearse, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:19:59+00:00

Jamespearse, Twitter

"Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle seems to be driving itself up his backside."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/jamespearse-twitter/

"He's another of those smug incompetents who are said by the 'in-crowd' to be cool. He appears to have serious life issues and he seems to think that foisting his emotional turmoil onto audiences is somehow 'art'. Bollocks."

Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:43:21+00:00

Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk

"He's another of those smug incompetents who are said by the 'in-crowd' to be cool. He appears to have serious life issues and he seems to think that foisting his emotional turmoil onto audiences is somehow 'art'. Bollocks."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/dahoum-guardian-co-uk/

"I don't get the point of this thing with Johnny vegas and lee, it's neither funny nor informative. It's like watching 2 heavily drunk people having a conversation at a bus stop."

Sidsings000, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:04:42+00:00

Sidsings000, Youtube

"I don't get the point of this thing with Johnny vegas and lee, it's neither funny nor informative. It's like watching 2 heavily drunk people having a conversation at a bus stop."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/sidsings000-youtube/

"The thinking woman's potato farl."

Rubyshoes, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:24:16+00:00

Rubyshoes, Twitter

"The thinking woman's potato farl."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/rubyshoes-twitter/

"I was Stage Manager for Stewart Lee. It wasn't performance art, stand up comedy or satire. It was a fucking train-wreck. That man could not read an audience 3 feet away.﻿ And yes, I got to know his act well during the rehearsals and Tech rehearsal. I also got to know the fact that the man is a functioning alcoholic, finishing nearly 12 cans to himself before going onstage, and that he is banned from the entire chain of theatres I used to work at for being rude, dismissive of staff and responding terribly to bad audience feedback. I don't hate this man in the slightest, I pity him. Where he tries to wear the "never hitting mainstream" as a cloak (Even naming a tour after it) the cracks appear when you're one on one with him. He is angry, and I don't think he know who he's angry at.﻿"

Funday’schild, youtube.

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:35:41+00:00

Funday’schild, youtube.

"I was Stage Manager for Stewart Lee. It wasn't performance art, stand up comedy or satire. It was a fucking train-wreck. That man could not read an audience 3 feet away.﻿ And yes, I got to know his act well during the rehearsals and Tech rehearsal. I also got to know the fact that the man is a functioning alcoholic, finishing nearly 12 cans to himself before going onstage, and that he is banned from the entire chain of theatres I used to work at for being rude, dismissive of staff and responding terribly to bad audience feedback. I don't hate this man in the slightest, I pity him. Where he tries to wear the "never hitting mainstream" as a cloak (Even naming a tour after it) the cracks appear when you're one on one with him. He is angry, and I don't think he know who he's angry at.﻿"

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/fundayschild-youtube/

"Who is this sumg gimp?"

Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:53:01+00:00

Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk

"Who is this sumg gimp?"

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/cojones2-guardian-co-uk/

"Stewart Lee- every pseudo-intellectual's favourite comedian! "If you don't find him funny it's because you can't comprehend his comedic style" or "You're just not clever enough" are usually responses to people who consider him unfunny..."

Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:51:44+00:00

Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk

"Stewart Lee- every pseudo-intellectual's favourite comedian! "If you don't find him funny it's because you can't comprehend his comedic style" or "You're just not clever enough" are usually responses to people who consider him unfunny..."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/cabluigi-guardian-co-uk/

"Stewart Lee is a cynical man, who has been able to build an entire carrer out of his own smugness. I hope the fucking chrones disease kills him."

Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:22:25+00:00

Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk

"Stewart Lee is a cynical man, who has been able to build an entire carrer out of his own smugness. I hope the fucking chrones disease kills him."

"Quite possibly the most boring stand-up I've ever heard. I fail to see what on earth is funny about him rambling on....and on...and on..."

Kozzy06, Youtube

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:06:40+00:00

Kozzy06, Youtube

"Quite possibly the most boring stand-up I've ever heard. I fail to see what on earth is funny about him rambling on....and on...and on..."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/kozzy06-youtube/

"A mollycoddled uber-middleclass mummysboy without a funny bone in his body. Verbal diahorria for stuffed shirts without a sense of humour."

Pnethor, pne-online.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:25:01+00:00

Pnethor, pne-online.com

"A mollycoddled uber-middleclass mummysboy without a funny bone in his body. Verbal diahorria for stuffed shirts without a sense of humour."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/pnethor-pne-online-com/

"Stewart lee just says something. Explains why you should laugh. Then accuses you of not having a sense of humour. The cunt."

World Without End, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:43:04+00:00

World Without End, Twitter

"Stewart lee just says something. Explains why you should laugh. Then accuses you of not having a sense of humour. The cunt."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/world-without-end-twitter/

"He stank. I've never seen a moronic idiot trying to tell jokes in my life. What a fuck. The man could barely stand up never mind tell a decent story. Everyone was laughing at him, and I hated his guts."

Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T17:37:24+00:00

Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com

"He stank. I've never seen a moronic idiot trying to tell jokes in my life. What a fuck. The man could barely stand up never mind tell a decent story. Everyone was laughing at him, and I hated his guts."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/alex-quarmby-edfringe-com/

"He's a c*nt, people lap it up like they do Charlie Brooker yet both are prejudiced middle class tosspots. Brooker is a weetabix haired trendy tosspiece trying to cling on to anything remotely cool these days and Stewart Lee is a hypocrite."

Lents, redandwhitekop.com

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:53:19+00:00

Lents, redandwhitekop.com

"He's a c*nt, people lap it up like they do Charlie Brooker yet both are prejudiced middle class tosspots. Brooker is a weetabix haired trendy tosspiece trying to cling on to anything remotely cool these days and Stewart Lee is a hypocrite."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/lents-redandwhitekop-com/

"I had to walk out of Stewart Lee's gig tonight when my wife started projectile vomiting!"

Cyberbloke, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:36:16+00:00

Cyberbloke, Twitter

"I had to walk out of Stewart Lee's gig tonight when my wife started projectile vomiting!"

"Lee is supposed to be a ground-breaking comedian and writer, but I found little entertainment value in his material.? It was not funny. It was a sad and deliberate attempt to see how far he could go. This was ultimate sick humour, and if anyone thought it funny, they must be sick as well."

Brighton Argus

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:41:14+00:00

Brighton Argus

"Lee is supposed to be a ground-breaking comedian and writer, but I found little entertainment value in his material.? It was not funny. It was a sad and deliberate attempt to see how far he could go. This was ultimate sick humour, and if anyone thought it funny, they must be sick as well."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/brighton-argus/

"I must protest most feverently at the prospect of further wanton waste of the licence fee on this pile of wank."

Aaron, comedy.co.uk

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:04:56+00:00

Aaron, comedy.co.uk

"I must protest most feverently at the prospect of further wanton waste of the licence fee on this pile of wank."

https://www.stewartlee.co.uk/testimonials/aaron-comedy-co-uk/

"The Krankies are funnier than this waste of air. So unfunny it's laughable."

Visualiser1, Twitter

Stewart Lee

2019-02-01T20:23:33+00:00

Visualiser1, Twitter

"The Krankies are funnier than this waste of air. So unfunny it's laughable."